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Niftski Just Broke the Super Mario Bros. Any% Record Dressed as Mario: 4:54.299, Two Frames From Perfect
A Halloween stream ended with a new world record, a Mario costume and a run that sits two frames from the practical limit of the game.
A record two frames from perfect
Niftski set a new any% Super Mario Bros. world record on Halloween while dressed as Mario, completing the NES game in 4:54.299 [1]. The run moved Niftski within two frames of a theoretically perfect run [1].
Niftski was dressed as Mario and spoke in a Mario voice during the stream [2]. Niftski shouted out the name Mario upon setting the record [2].
How the stream went
Niftski said he committed to the Mario bit around the middle point of his five-hour stream [2]. He said the goofy voice made him not nervous during the run, and that it felt casual [2].
Niftski said the two frames were lost in the initial stretch of the game [2].
What the theoretical limit is
The relevant TAS benchmark is 4:54.265, created under the same rules used for real-time runs [1]. That benchmark is treated as the practical theoretical limit for the category [1].
A faster TAS time of 4:54.032 exists, but it uses simultaneous left-and-right inputs that are impossible on a standard NES controller [1]. Those inputs are banned from human attempts [1].
Why every frame counts
Super Mario Bros. runs at 60 frames per second, so each frame lasts roughly 16.7 milliseconds [1]. The game uses 21-frame cycles to determine when most levels are completed, so a runner can lose a few frames in some stages without losing time on the final clock [1].
The final level, World 8-4, does not offer the same frame-rule cushion, so every successful jump, movement and button press can affect the final result [1].
The race with LeKukie
Brazilian runner LeKukie briefly claimed the world record in June with a 4:54.365 run [1]. That run cut the gap to the theoretical limit to six frames, before Niftski reclaimed the top spot two months later [1].
LeKukie remains close behind, and both runners have been streaming attempts at the same goal [1].
How we got here
Super Mario Bros. was released in 1985 [2]. The record only dipped below the five-minute mark around 2010, when Andrew Gardikis reignited the scene with a new blueprint for future runners [2].
In 2021 Niftski became the first player to complete the game in under 4:55, a milestone that was compared to breaking the four-minute mile in speedrunning [1]. Niftski is 22 years old and holds the current world records for warpless, glitchless and any percent Super Mario Bros. [2].
What it means for you
If you watch speedruns, the number to track is 4:54.265, the benchmark treated as the practical theoretical limit for the category [1]. Niftski’s 4:54.299 run is two frames from a perfect run [1].
LeKukie remains close behind, and both runners have been streaming attempts at the same goal [1].
Sources
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